Update: Much Too Long!

Hello everyone! It has been almost 2 months since I have blogged here, and honestly I have missed it! So much has been going on in our lives here in our little town in Wisconsin. Fall has turned into winter, our youngest turned 3, and family holidays have consumed a lot of our time. Here's a few pictures of some projects that I have been working on during this busy season! Regular blog posts returning soon!

Projects of the Day: Dryer Balls, Pumpkins, and Scarf, Oh My!

Here are a few things that I have been working on this week!

First we have some lovely wool dryers balls. I have been experimenting with the best way to make these. These are made of wool yarn, but I am working on some made of wool roving as well. I think the roving will ultimately be easier! Aren't they pretty?

I've also been working on a couple of projects that I shared earlier, a scarf for my father and some cute pumpkin appliques. They could also be used as pins or fridgie magnets! I'm going to put faces on some of them too. Spooky!

The last couple of months I have kept an eye out for beautiful wool sweaters heading for the trash bin. You would be surprised what people throw away! Thankfully, I was able to rescue some and reclaim the yarn! I will be offering these lovely reclaimed yarns for sale on my website soon. I am close to launch!

I have begun selling Ice Brand Yarns! They are wonderful, high-quality yarns for very reasonable prices! Please take a look at our website, Ice Yarns and consider making a purchase. These yarns are luxurious and work up quickly and easily into high-quality projects. Love this brand!

New Listing On Ebay

Please see our new listing on Ebay. While it is a crocheted item, we do accept custom orders for both knitting and crocheting! More blog tutorials coming shortly!

Ebay

Knitting Basics: To Gauge Or Not To Gauge

Gauge is a word that you will see in most knitting projects to describe the desired tension or stitches per inch. This is crucial in certain patterns that require exact sizing, such as clothing, but less important in patterns that are more flexible in sizing, such as scarves, blankets, dishcloths, etc. Each knitter has a different tension when knitting. This means that if you have several people working with the same needle and yarn, you will have several different sizes of finished project due to tension. Some knit more tightly, and some knit more loosely. This is why it is crucial to check your gauge on projects that are meant to fit a particular person or object. If your knitting is tighter than the pattern writer's knitting, your garment may be too small, or vise versa.

So how do you measure gauge? Patterns that are gauge-dependent will provide a “gauge” for you to follow. Here is an example: 24 stitches and 39 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch using #3 needles. Let's take a closer look at what this means. This gauge example says that if you cast on 24 stitches and knit for 39 rows using size 3 needles in stockinette stitch (Knit Row 1, Purl Row 2, repeat), you should get a 4 inch swatch. A swatch is the small piece of fabric, in this instance 4 inches, that you knit to determine if you have the correct tension. If your swatch is larger than 4 inches, your gauge/tension is looser than the designer's, and you need to use a smaller needle to obtain the correct gauge. If your swatch is smaller than 4 inches, your gauge/tension is tighter than the designer's, and you need to use a larger needle to obtain the correct gauge.

So before you start a project that is designed to fit, take the time to check your gauge with a swatch. It is worth the extra time to ensure the garment will fit properly!

Toys

Here are a couple of toys that I have made and given away as gifts. They are quick, easy, and fun projects that children love!

For patterns for toys and similar projects, I would suggest Knitting Pattern Central and Ravelry.